Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) by Tjanpi Desert Weavers is a collaborative large-scale installation commissioned by the National Gallery of Australia as a part of the Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now exhibition.
Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) is an epic ancestral story. It follows the journey of seven sisters as they are pursued across Country by Wati Nyiru / Yurla, who is chasing the eldest sister. The sisters constantly try to evade Wati Nyiru leaving traces of their journey in the landscape. In an attempt to escape, they eventually launch themselves into the sky, transforming into the stars that form the Pleiades. Wati Nyiru follows and becomes the Orion constellation. The retelling and depiction of this story relays the impact of transgressive behaviour and location of water resources necessary for survival in the desert.
Know My Name is an initiative of the National Gallery of Australia to celebrate the significant contributions of Australian women artists. The initiative aims to increase the representation of artists who identify as women in its artistic program and enhance understanding of the contributions they have made and continue to make to Australia’s cultural life.
Contributing artists: Dianne Ungukalpi Golding, Delilah Shepherd, Winifred Puntjina Reid, Dorcas Tinnimai Bennett, Martha Yunurupa Ward, Nancy Nyanyana Jackson, Polly Pawuya Jackson, Cynthia Nyungalya Burke, Erica Ikungka Shorty, Judith Yinyika Chambers, Rosalie Richards, Dallas Smythe, Roma Yanyakarri Butler.
